8 August 2013: The World Bank and the Government of Lao PDR have signed a US$31.83 million grant for the Scaling-Up Participatory Sustainable Forest Management (SUPSFM) project, which aims to support REDD+ activities through greater community participation in forest management, particularly in the four northern provinces of Xaiyaboury, Luang Namtha, Oudomxay and Bokeo.

Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the project features four components. The first aims to strengthen and expand Participatory Sustainable Forest Management (PSFM) in production forest areas. The second pilots forest landscape management, which involves the development of new methodologies and frameworks for forest landscape management, as well as the establishment of forest landscape pilots. The third component aims to enable the legal and regulatory environment, while the final relates to project management.

The funding is a combination of US$19 million from an International Development Association (IDA) grant and a US$12.83 million grant from the Forest Investment Program (FIP) under the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF) Trust Fund of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF). Finland will also contribute with US$14.5 million in grant to the project in the form of Technical Assistance.

The SUPSFM is the continuation of the Sustainable Forestry and Rural Development Project (SUFORD), concluded in 2012. [World Bank Press Release] [SUPSFM Project] [SUFORD Project]